Pope Francis was ordained on December 13, 1969, which means he is the first pope to go through seminary post-Vatican II. Also, remember that St. John Paul II made him a cardinal.Pray for this pope. The Papacy may well be his road to salvation.

Never mind that Italy has only 5,000 troops available that are even close to deployable, according to the defense ministry. Or that the military budget was cut by 40 percent two years ago, which has kept the acquisition of 90 F-35 fighter jets hanging in the balance and left the country combat-challenged to lead any mission—especially one against an enemy like the Islamic State.Meanwhile, the Italian government said they are prepared to deploy 500 special anti-terrorism police to protect sensitive tourist sites in Rome.

I wanted to start a 24/7 Adoration chapel in Walsingham and begged those on the blog to help me buy a perfect place for this. Only one person offered a small amount and I could not pursue the project of bringing daily Adoration to Walsingham.

Homosexuals bought the house, which I knew would happen, as I got that in prayer.

The moment was lost for Christ's presence in the town of the only apparition of Mary in England.

Now, I want to set up a house in America, in an area of much evil and corruption. If anyone wants to help, and this means buying a house, paying for the fees and taxes, and setting up the place for Adoration, I would like to hear from you.

The bishop in this area could then be approached with this idea. I have one person who could join me for a few months a year, as she is from Europe.

I want this to be constant Adoration for priests, bishops, cardinals, the Pope and the spread of the Latin Mass.

Part of the day would be the saying of the Office, the Auxilium Christianorum Prayers, and the Third Order Prayers of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother.

After attending extremely affluent area Masses and seeing Girl Scout cookies being sold inside the gathering space, and hearing the priest plead for people to support the parish auction, I am convinced the soul of the Church in America is either dead or dying.

Phariseeism has taken over the minds of too many Catholics. Too many people think that good works will get them to heaven.

There is no merit in good works if one is in mortal sin, or if one is not living the life of the virtues.

Good works follow virtue. Christ spoke out against the Pharisees for their show of religion. Without the interior life, there is no true religion.

Catholics are heading for the worst time of persecution since the first eight centuries, and priests are talking about bed and bath baskets in the auction.

If there were a desert nearby, I would go immediately.

Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.[b]9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.[c]11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.[d]15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell[e] as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,[f] so that the outside also may become clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. 28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. 33 You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?[g]34 Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

The Lament over Jerusalem

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you, desolate.[h]39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

SPUC's Safe at School campaign has said that parents must be at the centre of sex education, in response to the report from the House of Commons Education Committee on PSHE and SRE in schools.

Antonia Tully of Safe at School told the media this morning:

"Parents constantly find themselves having to battle with schools in order to protect their children from inappropriate sex education. The recommendation from the Education Committee that parents can continue to withdraw their children from sex education, isn't addressing this problem."

We don't need new sex education guidelines either. We already have guidelines for schools which repeatedly stress that parents must be involved. What is missing is a robust mechanism to ensure that schools really do engage with parents.Parents are the primary educators of their children, they are natural sex educators of their children and they are the experts on their own children."

Leon Bloy

Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma

The Church Must Not Be Defensive

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Too many Church leaders do not think, or do not think as Catholics

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GUILD PRAYER

God our Father, source of life and freedom, through Your Holy Spirit you gave the Carmelite, Titus Brandsma the courage to affirm human dignity even in the midst of suffering and degrading persecution.

Grant us that same spirit so that, in refusing all compromise with error we may always and everywhere give coherent witness to Your abiding presence among us.